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The first time that I went backpacking in the mountains of Colorado, I came across many old mines. Some were vertical shafts that were not safely accessible, but a couple could be walked into easily. The light I had was weak, so I never did go more than a hundred feet into one. But there is something fascinating about these mines, so when we moved here a couple years back, I decided to start exploring.
Times have changed, of course, so when a friend and I wanted to discover the locations of some old mines, we went online. We found a list of over 100 just in the county where we lived. Even better, they had GPS coordinates for all of them. Our first week or two of exploration led us to seven mines, all with gates or otherwise closed off. One that we never found was in such rough country that it took us two hours to get three-quarters of a mile back to the car.
Then we started to find some accessible ones. Most were mines that went just forty or sixty feet into a mountainside and then ended. Presumably the gold or other metals ran out or were never found. One day, we found five mines that were not on the list, including one that we followed a thousand feet back. Two that we discovered that day had shafts below the one we entered by, but we needed a rope to get to them. We are still planning to return to those.
Old Mines Are Dangerous
I can't recommend this as a hobby for anyone, because the truth is that mines can be very dangerous. In fact, they are more dangerous than natural caves (which we have also found and explored). This is for two reasons. First, they are more likely to be unstable. Caves have been there for thousands of years, and settled slowly into a stable formations over that time. Mines may be on the verge of doing that "settling" meaning they may be about to drop rocks on your head.
Also, they sometimes have poisonous gasses in them.
Normally dry air is made up of about 78.09% nitrogen and 20.95% oxygen with the remaining 1% is made up of argon (0.93%), carbon dioxide (0.03%) and other trace gases (0.003%). Of course, water vapor is also normally present in air too.
If the concentration of nitrogen is more than 81% it can start to get dangerous for humans. At 83% to 85% concentrations, a match may not burn, or not burn easily. If you note that your lighter doesn't work, or a match won't light and stay lit, get out! At 88% nitrogen you'll start breathing deeper. Watch for that. At 90% your face will flush and get darker. Watch each other's faces for these signs and if you see them get out immediately.
Nitrogen is not the only problem though. Here are some mining terms and explanations of other dangerous poisons.
The Damps
"Damps" used to mean "vapors" or "mists," but is now refers to gasses. Prefixes are attached to refer to various gases according to their qualities, as follows:
"Fire-damp" is flammable and consists chiefly of methane.
"Black-damp" (sometimes called "choke-damp" or "stythe") extinguishes flame. It causes death by suffocation and is made up of carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
"White-damp" is an extremely poisonous gas, also known as carbon monoxide. It sneaks up on you, often unnoticed, and if you pass out, a friend better get you out into some fresh air fast, before he or she passes out as well.
"After-damp" is a gas that results from an explosion, and it usually has dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide. This obviously, is not a problem in old mines that have been inactive for years.
"Stink-damp," is sulphuretted hydrogen, or hydrogen sulfide. Though it's a very poisonous gas, it's seldom found in dangerous amounts, and the pungent smell of rotten eggs is a sure sign, so it is easily avoided.
The bottom line is that in addition to the dangers from cave-ins or falling into deep pits in the dark tunnels, you better think about the gasses. If you pass out in an old mine, there isn't much of a chance you'll ever wake up again. This is why few will ever recommend exploring old mines as a hobby. Still, since some of you will likely do so, at least take the following precautions:
1. Tell someone where you'll be.
2. Never go alone.
3. Look for signs of failing timbers or recent cave-ins (and stay out if you see them).
4. Pay attention to your breathing, and get out if it gets irregular or difficult.
5. Watch for skin color changes in each other and get out if you note them.
6. Get out if any in your group feels dizzy, gets a headache, or feels "funny."
8. Avoid places with funny smells, especially if it is a rotten-egg smell.
9. Keep your visit to deeper parts of the mine short.
10. Avoid old mines on private property, or you'll have another set of problems.
If you are interested in hiking to safer old mines, like those that don't go deep enough to accumulate poisonous gasses, visit my site, http://www.ColoradoTreasureHunting.com . I mention mines that are near the various clues, on the treasure hunt pages.